Healthy Food Discussions with Parents
Discussing food choices with parents can be a sensitive subject. It is important to have open conversations about classroom food expectations to promote healthy eating without offending parents or making them feel like they are not doing the right thing for their child.
Before having conversations about food with parents..
- Decide the type of classroom food environment you want to have before the school year begins
- This will make it easier to develop a classroom routine and have expectations surrounding the foods in your classroom
- Develop relationships with your students' parents through establishing open communication early on in the school year
- Consistent communication is key to developing mutual trust with parents and having successful discussions about sensitive topics
- Set classroom food policies, or if possible, help enact schoolwide food policies
- This will make it easier to discuss food options if healthy eating guidelines are written in policy/parent handbook
Strategies to Discussing Food with Parents
Try not to sound like an authority figure or make parents feel like you are reprimanding them for their food choices.
Ask for parents’ support to help reinforce these concepts at home.
Many common responses may be child’s preferences, convenience, availability, or financial reasons.
Ex. if a child tried apple slices at school and enjoyed it, encourage the parents to offer apples at home and send in as a healthy snack option.
Often times, parents may not be persistent because their child has refused a certain food item more than once.
Teaching Scenario
